Police traffic unit branded ‘abject failure’

Decrying the sharp increase in road fatalities in the last four years, a senior opposition lawmaker in the Upper House has described the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as “an abject failure”.

Leader of opposition business in the Senate, Peter Bunting, argued that the JCF branch, which was launched in 2019 to enhance public order and traffic safety, was not delivering on its mandate with road deaths at record pace.

He contended that since the establishment of PSTEB with much fanfare, road deaths have been averaging between 400 and 500 annually since 2019.

Data from the Ministry of Transport’s daily traffic crash update show that 440 road fatalities occurred in 2019, decreasing marginally to 433 in 2020 and surging to 487 in 2021.

According to Bunting, for the period 2003 to 2018, road deaths ranged between 300 and 400 each year, with the exception of 2012, when the number was 260.

The latest data from the transport ministry showed that 284 people – the same for the corresponding period in 2021 – have been killed in 248 fatal crashes since the start of the year.

Bunting said he had expected to see a downturn in road fatalities with the establishment of PSTEB.

He charged that after spending millions on rolling out PSTEB, the efforts turned out to be nothing but public relations.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who spoke at the launch of PSTEB in 2019, said the initial roll-out would have had an islandwide impact, with significant attention given to the Corporate Area, St Catherine, St James, and major resort towns.

“The task of restoring public order and safety is a priority of the Government, and as minister of national security, the PSTEB is a reflection of my mandate, which forms part of the overall transformation of the JCF,” Chang said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie, who heads PSTEB, declined comment.

But vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Dr Lucien Jones, is not willing to put the blame at the feet of PSTEB.

He said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a five-pillar approach to prevent road accidents and injuries.

The WHO has suggested a Safe Systems Approach that has been endorsed by the Jamaican Government, Jones said.

The five areas under the WHO-recommended system are safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe road users, and an efficient post-crash system.

“We don’t isolate any of them, but if you are going to look at one – the main reason why people are crashing on the roads across the world is that people are driving at unsafe speeds and they are also driving recklessly. They are also driving on unsafe roads,” Jones added.

While conceding that road fatalities rose sharply in the year when PSTEB was launched, Jones argued that it was not the fault of the new police unit.

He said that the police alone cannot enforce unsafe speeds, adding that it requires a system of deterrence.

“I am not absolving the police of their responsibility to enforce speed, all I am saying is that when you look at it in the context of the safe system and in the context of the rise in the number of people who are dying most of the increase since 2012 is because we have had an increase in the number of motorcyclists,” Jones told The Gleaner.

He said that motorcyclists are dying not only because of speeding but because of deficits in driver technique and ability.

The ministry reported that motorcyclists account for 26 per cent of the road users killed since the start of the year.

Jones said that pedestrian deaths have also been a cause for concern as many used the roads incorrectly.

Pedestrian deaths account for 20 per cent of road fatalities this year.

He also called attention to the number of fatalities involving private motor car drivers and their passengers.

Data from the Ministry of Transport show that private motor vehicle drivers account for 23 per cent of road deaths, while private motor vehicle passengers account for 14 per cent.

“Until and unless we fix the deterrent system, we will continue to have people driving recklessly because you only change behaviour when people are forced to,” said Jones.

editorial@gleanerjm.com